With Family
The Vaccine War (2023) poster
Our suggested age13+
Movie family guide Reviewed 13 Aug 2026

The Vaccine War

2023 Hindi 2h 41m
DramaThriller

Scientists at the Indian biomedical lab roll out an indigenous vaccine at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the race against time. The Director General of ICMR Dr.

Overall family watch Use Caution
Comfortable with parents? Mostly

What families should know

Six content ratings

Scores run from 0 (none) to 5 (severe). Every score includes a spoiler-light explanation.

Why age 13+?

Violence, Gore & Scariness Evidence-limited estimate: mild violence, gore and scariness concern.
Mild 2/5

For The Vaccine War, detailed scene-level evidence for violence, gore and scariness was not fully verified. The severity 2 (mild) is a conservative editorial estimate derived from available catalogue genres, existing age guidance and any certificate already stored for the movie. It should not be read as a claim that a specific unverified scene occurs.

Sex, Romance & Nudity Evidence-limited estimate: none sex, romance and nudity concern. Not present
None 0/5

For The Vaccine War, detailed scene-level evidence for sex, romance and nudity was not fully verified. The severity 0 (none) is a conservative editorial estimate derived from available catalogue genres, existing age guidance and any certificate already stored for the movie. It should not be read as a claim that a specific unverified scene occurs.

Language & Abusive Words Evidence-limited estimate: very mild language and abusive words concern.
Very Mild 1/5

For The Vaccine War, detailed scene-level evidence for language and abusive words was not fully verified. The severity 1 (very mild) is a conservative editorial estimate derived from available catalogue genres, existing age guidance and any certificate already stored for the movie. It should not be read as a claim that a specific unverified scene occurs.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking Evidence-limited estimate: very mild alcohol, drugs and smoking concern.
Very Mild 1/5

For The Vaccine War, detailed scene-level evidence for alcohol, drugs and smoking was not fully verified. The severity 1 (very mild) is a conservative editorial estimate derived from available catalogue genres, existing age guidance and any certificate already stored for the movie. It should not be read as a claim that a specific unverified scene occurs.

Sensitive & Disturbing Themes Evidence-limited estimate: mild sensitive or disturbing themes concern.
Mild 2/5

For The Vaccine War, detailed scene-level evidence for sensitive or disturbing themes was not fully verified. The severity 2 (mild) is a conservative editorial estimate derived from available catalogue genres, existing age guidance and any certificate already stored for the movie. It should not be read as a claim that a specific unverified scene occurs.

Family Awkwardness / Watch-with-Parents Rating Evidence-limited estimate: very mild family-viewing awkwardness concern.
Very Mild Awkwardness 1/5

For The Vaccine War, detailed scene-level evidence for family-viewing awkwardness was not fully verified. The severity 1 (very mild) is a conservative editorial estimate derived from available catalogue genres, existing age guidance and any certificate already stored for the movie. It should not be read as a claim that a specific unverified scene occurs.

Legal availability

Where to watch

Streaming availability can change. We only link to official platforms.

No verified legal streaming option is listed yet. Availability may vary by region.

Credits and facts

Movie details

Release date
28 September 2023
Runtime
161 minutes
Country
India
Languages
Hindi
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Director
Vivek Agnihotri
Writers
Vivek Agnihotri
Cast
Nana Patekar, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Raima Sen, Sapthami Gowda, Saptami Gowda, Girija Oak, Mohan Kapoor
Producers
Pallavi Joshi
Production company
I Am Buddha Entertainment and Media LLP

Spoiler-free synopsis

Scientists at the Indian biomedical lab roll out an indigenous vaccine at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the race against time. The Director General of ICMR Dr. Balram Bhargava spearheads the vaccine development project. A high level expert committee is set-up by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, ICMR, and Bharat Biotech. A scientific team of bioengineers led by Dr. Priya Abraham, Director of ICMR-National Institute of Virology, consists of Virologists Dr. Sreelekshmy Mohandas, Dr. Nivedita Gupta, and Dr. Pragya Yadav; Epidemiologists and Infectious Disease Scientists Dr. Rajni Kant Srivastava, Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar, Dr. Samiran Panda, Dr. Varsha Potdar and Dr. Enna Dogra Gupta. The SARS-CoV-2 strain (NIV-2020-770) used in developing the BBV152 vaccine is retrieved from tourists who arrive in New Delhi, India. The scientific team sequences the 'Vero CCL-81' cells and the genome sequence is deposited in the GISAID database. The team then reports the development of an inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BBV152, which elicits a neutralizing antibody response in animal studies, and phase I clinical trial against hCoV-19/India/2020770.

For families

Editorial guidance

Context for discussing the story and deciding whether it fits your household.

01

Positive messages

Constructive themes or examples.

Potential constructive discussion around The Vaccine War can focus on responsibility, empathy, perseverance and the consequences of decisions. Where the Drama, Thriller material creates conflict, parents can discuss safer alternatives, respectful communication and how characters respond to pressure. These are editorial discussion prompts and are not claims that every theme appears explicitly in the film.

02

Negative behaviours

Conduct that may need context.

Parents should be alert to behaviour commonly associated with Drama, Thriller, including conflict, deception, fear, risky choices or emotionally intense exchanges where applicable. Because detailed scene-level evidence is not equally available for every 2023 title, this section avoids inventing specific acts that were not verified. Use an official CBFC classification when present in the database and consider previewing the film for especially sensitive children.

03

Topics to discuss

Conversation starters after viewing.

Useful family discussion questions include: What motivates the main characters? Which decisions create avoidable problems? How could conflicts be handled more responsibly? Do the film's relationships model respect and consent? How does the story portray courage, loyalty, justice or forgiveness? For older children, compare dramatic entertainment choices with real-world consequences.

Final recommendation

Our family-viewing take

Suggested minimum age: 13+. The overall family verdict is use caution. Children below that age may need stronger parental guidance, especially if Drama, Thriller includes tension, violence, fear, crime, romance or mature emotional themes. Teen suitability improves with context and discussion. Shared family viewing is recommended when parents want to address the strongest concerns.

Reviewed by With Family Editorial Team · 13 Aug 2026 · Updated 13 Aug 2026

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